[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 235 (Friday, December 7, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69225-69226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-23719]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[AK-040-07-1610-DQ-087L]
Notice of Availability of the Bay Proposed Resource Management
Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) has prepared a proposed Resource Management Plan/
Final Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/EIS) for the Bay planning
area, located in southwest Alaska.
DATES: BLM Planning Regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2) state that any person
who participated in the planning process, and has an interest that is
or may be adversely affected, may protest the BLM's approval or
amendment of an RMP. That person must file a protest within 30 days of
the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register. Instructions for filing protests
are described in the Dear Reader letter of the Bay Proposed RMP/Final
EIS and in the ``Additional Protest Information'' section of this
notice. Please consult BLM's Planning Regulations at 43 CFR 1610.5-2
for further instructions on protests.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chuck Denton, BLM Anchorage Field
Office, 6881 Abbott Loop Road, Anchorage, AK 99507, (907) 267-1246 or
(800) 478-1263.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Bay planning area includes 1,927,083
acres of BLM-administered public lands and resources in the Bristol Bay
and Goodnews Bay areas of southwest Alaska. The Bay Proposed RMP/Final
EIS focuses on the principles of multiple use and sustained yield as
prescribed by Section 202 of FLPMA. The Proposed RMP/Final EIS
considers and analyzes four alternatives, including a No Action and a
Preferred Alternative. The alternatives provide for an array of
variable levels of commodity production and resource protection.
The alternatives were developed based on public scoping and
participation, as required by the BLM's Land Use Planning Handbook (H-
1601-1). The public involvement and collaboration process included nine
public scoping meetings, six public meetings on the Draft RMP/EIS, and
meetings with other interested parties. The BLM consulted with Alaska
Native tribes; federal, state, and local government agencies; elected
community officials; and the BLM's Alaska Resource Advisory Council.
Involvement with the State of Alaska throughout the planning process
was achieved through a joint BLM/State position, which provided a
liaison between the State and the BLM.
Primary issues addressed through this planning process include: (1)
Natural resources protection, primarily water and fisheries resources,
due to the proposed lifting of land withdrawals and possible locatable
mining exploration and development on BLM- and State of Alaska-managed
lands; (2) social and economic conditions, including subsistence
resources; and (3) ACEC (Area of Critical Environmental Concern)
determination.
In addition to these issues, the Bay Proposed RMP/Final EIS
addresses management of various program areas such as vegetation, fish
and wildlife habitat, fire management, cultural resources, visual
resources, forest resources, and realty. The Proposed RMP/Final EIS
also resulted in development of required operating procedures (ROPs),
which are requirements, procedures, management practices, or design
features the BLM
[[Page 69226]]
adopts as operational requirements for permitted activities. The ROPs
were developed to ensure that Alaska Statewide Land Health Standards
are met.
As required by 43 CFR 1610.7-2, areas with potential for
designation as ACECs were considered during the Bay planning process.
The preferred alternative recommends the designation of one ACEC, known
as the Carter Spit ACEC. Final acreage for the proposed 36,220-acre
Carter Spit ACEC will depend on the result of land conveyance to the
State of Alaska and Native corporations. This ACEC is proposed to
provide additional protections for Steller's eiders (Polysticta
stelleri), a federally-listed migratory bird species, and coastal salt-
marsh habitat in the Goodnews Bay area. Use limitations within the
boundary of the ACEC include:
Limited OHV (off-highway vehicle) designation.
Avoidance Area for rights-of-ways.
Open to fluid mineral leasing subject to special
stipulations.
Open to locatable mineral entry subject to required
operating procedures.
Closed to salable mineral activities.
All comments received on the plan were analyzed and evaluated.
Substantive comments and the BLM's responses to those comments can be
found in the appendices of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS. Comments on the
Draft RMP/EIS received from the public and BLM review comments were
incorporated into the Proposed RMP/Final EIS. Public comments resulted
in changes to the preferred alternative through the addition of
clarifying text and additional analysis of impacts, and contributed to
the adjustment of the boundary of the proposed Carter Spit ACEC. A
summary of these changes follows the Executive Summary of the Proposed
RMP/Final EIS.
Copies of the Bay Proposed RMP/Final EIS have been sent to affected
federal, state, and local government agencies and to interested
parties. The document is available for public inspection at the BLM
Anchorage Field Office, 6881 Abbott Loop Road, Anchorage, AK, during
normal business hours from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except holidays. Interested persons may also view the document on the
Internet at http://www.blm.gov/ak, or at one of the following locations
in Alaska: BLM Alaska State Office (Anchorage), Alaska Resources
Library and Information Services (University of Alaska Anchorage), Z.J.
Loussac Library (Anchorage), Dillingham Public Library, Naknek Public
Library, Homer Public Library, City of Goodnews Bay, City of New
Stuyahok, City of Quinhagak, and Lake and Peninsula Borough Planning
Department (King Salmon).
Additional Protest Information: E-mailed and faxed protests will
not be accepted as valid protests unless the protesting party also
provides a copy of the original letter postmarked by the close of the
protest period. Under these conditions, the BLM will consider the e-
mailed or faxed protest as an advance copy and it will receive full
consideration. Please direct faxed protests to the attention of the BLM
protest coordinator at (202) 452-5112, and e-mails to [email protected]. All protests, including the follow up letter (if
faxing or e-mailing), must be in writing and mailed to one of the
following addresses:
Regular Mail: Director (210), Attn: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box
66538, Washington, DC 20035.
Overnight Mail: Director (210), Attn: Brenda Williams, 1620 L
Street NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or
other personal identifying information in your protest, you should be
aware that your entire protest--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us to withhold your personal identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Dated: June 7, 2007.
Gust C. Panos,
Associate State Director.
Editorial Note: This document was received at the Office of the
Federal Register on Monday, December 3, 2007.
[FR Doc. E7-23719 Filed 12-6-07; 8:45 am]
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